Closet tank fittings



Oct. 12, 1965 R. G. PARKlsoN CLOSET TANK FITTINGS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed July 27, 1959 El? VENTcER. mmawm ATTOEA/Ey.

Oct. 12, 1965 R. G. PARKxsoN CLOSET TANK FITTINGS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 27, 1959 A T TOR/VE V5.

Oct. 12, 1965 R. G. PARKlsoN GLOSET TANK FITTINGS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed July 27, 1959 u BYMNVENTfjR.

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United States Patent 3,211,172 CLOSET TANK FITTLNGS Richard G. Parkson, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Ameri-` can Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York, N .Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application July 27, 1959, Ser. No. 829,609, now Patent No. 3,107,747, dated Oct. 22, 1963. Divided and this application Apr. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 270,701 2 Claims. (Cl. 137-451) This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 829,609, filed July 27, 1959, entitled Closet Tank Fittings, now Patent No. 3,107,747.

This invention relates to fittings for the tank of a water closet. More particularly, it relates to improved fittings which display superior reliability and operational characteristics.

The tank of a water closet is a reservoir for a supply of water which can be discharged into the trap of a toilet to start a siphonic action to empty the bowl. Once the tank has been emptied, it is then automatically refilled.

The design of closet tank fittings has been standardized for some time, with relatively little change having been made in any -of the components. ln general, the fittings comprise a water inlet valve which controls the entrance of water into the tank (the filling portion of the operational cycle), a tank refill or hush tube the purpose of which is to conduct the water incoming from the inlet valve into the tank as silently as possible, an overflow preventer which is a safety device limiting the maximum water level in the tank, and an outlet valve which regulates the discharge of water from the tank into the trap.

Heretofore, the inlet valve has usually been of the bib-washer type, in which water fiow is controlled by the spacing between a fixed seat and a circular washer mounted on a vertically translatable stem. The stem is moved upwardly (away from the seat) so as to provide a greater spacing between it and the seat, to open the valve in order to refill the tank, and is moved reversely to shut off flow into the tank. While this type of valve has been conventional for many years and has been used in literally millions of closet tanks, nonetheless it has certain objectionable features. For example, to effeet a complete closure of` the valve or, in other words, to form a tight seal between the washer and seat, a relatively large downward force must be applied to the stem to which the washer is attached. In time, under the effects of this intermittently applied pressure, the washer ages and deteriorates so that water seeps through the valve resulting in a persistent running noise.

A second objection to the old type valve has been that it has been necessary to use a packing gland around the stem of the valve to prevent water from seeping out of the inlet valve along the stem. In time, the packing inevitably deteriorates and permits water to leak into the tank. With the occurrence of such leakage, lubricants applied to the stem are washed away, and the valve becomes less free-acting and develops a tendency to stick.

Similarly, there have been certain functional inadequacies in the other components of the tank fittings. Perhaps the most objectionable feature of all lies with the outlet valve. Heretofore, this has simply been a round, hollow rubber ball having a lifting rod extending vertically upwardly from it. This ball plugs the discharge conduit which leads from the bottom of the tank to the trap of the toilet below it. The valve is opened by turning a handle on the outside of the tank which, through linkage, pulls the ball upwardly, away from the 3,211,172 Patented Oct. l2, 1965 ICC discharge conduit, opening it. To close the outlet valve, the ball must be rather accurately reset in the discharge conduit. Means which will do this with great reliability under years of use have been difficult to develop, at least without increasing the cost of the fittings.

The present invention isdirected to the provision of completely new tank fittings which, in terms of overall functionality, are the same as presently employed fittings, but which in mechanical embodiment are a new approach to the problems presented by their operational environf ment.

Generally speaking, the fittings of this invention cornprise three sub-assemblies: an inlet valve, a tank refill tube, and an overflow tube and outlet valve assembly.

The inlet valve of thisinvention is a departure of the old type bib-washer valve. Instead, a seal of the diaphragm type is used. The seal'is seated tightly in the body of the valve, spaced a slight distance above the valve seat. The center portion of the diaphragm is moved toward or away from the seat in accordance with the pressure exerted on a plunger above it. While the center portion of the diaphragm thus forms the dynamic seal, a permanent static seal is formed at the periphery of the diaphragm so that water cannot seep out around the edge of the diaphragm. By this static seal, the plunger is kept absolutely dry. Therefore, lubricant applied to it is not washed away with time. Thus, one important advantage of the diaphragm valve provided by this invention resides in the fact that it obviates the need for packing glands, and can be permanently lubricated so that it will remain tree-acting over its entire life. Secondly, it has been found that with the diaphragm seal a perfect closure can be effected with relatively little downward pressure on the plunger.

The tank refill tube of this invention differs from the old type in that it depends on anew principle of action, in which a flow of water entering it from the inlet valve is swirled into the tank with a minimum of noise. To effect this, a unique swirl chamber is provided in which, by reason of the relative direction of its entry into the chamber, the water spins centrifugally against the walls of the chamber so as to have a relatively large component of horizontal motion in comparison with its rate of vertical descent. As an integral part of the tank refill tube, back-flow preventing means are provided which make virtually impossible the occurrence of a reverse Siphon effect by which tank water might be drawn rearwardly down the inlet tube and become commingled with the water supply of the building.

Another new element of this invention is a trap refill tube which simply but effectively regulates the rate at which the toilet bowl is refilled. This tube is coupled with the swirl chamber in such a way as to insure that no siphonic action can occur rearwardly through the trap refill tube.

The outlet valve of this invention is also` a complete departure from the old device. Here also is a new type of seal provided, which is at all times accurately aligned with respect to the discharge conduit, so. that the valve must reseat itself with unvarying reliability. There are no complicated linkages (such as were present in old type fittings) to malfunction.

While not an inventive feature of the fittings disclosed herein, a further important advantage of these fittings is that, with the exception'of the valve body, all of the rigid components may be made of plastic. Heretofore, standard fittings have been largely made of metal, which has been both heavy and expensive, and which presents a serious problem of electrolytic action` if parts made of two different types of metal are in electric contact with each other. The shape `and interconnection of the fittings of this invention renders them particularly well adapted to be molded of plastic which obviates the problem of electrolytic action and is lighter and less expensive as well.

In summary, this invention provides improved tank fittings which are superior in functional characteristics and quietness of operation, possess a greater degree of reliability, and can be produced at substantially lower cost.

The invention can best be further described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevation partly in section of a water closet tank having the fittings of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the tank and fittings.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken along line 3 3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section taken along line 4 4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal Isection taken along line 5 5 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal section taken along line 6 6 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a horizontal section taken along line 7 7 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section taken along line 8 8 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 9 is a horizontal section taken along line 9 9 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary cross sectional view through the inlet valve illustrating the shapes of the surfaces of the plunger and of the pivot arm at their points of contact.

In FIGURE l a water closet tank of conventional design is indicated at 10. Such tanks are normally made of porcelain and are of two pieces: a large, hollow reservoir bottom 11, which is open at the top, and a lid 12 seated on top of it. The lid is removable so that access may be gained to make adjustments of the fittings which are situated inside the tank. A discharge pipe 13 communicates from on opening 14 in the bottom wall 15 of the reservoir to the trap of the toilet (not shown) below it.

Under normal operating conditions, the tank is filled with water to a pre-established depth, as indicated at 16 in FIGURE l, Iso that it is in effect a reservoir from which water may be discharged into the trap below, to begin a siphonic action which empties the trap.

A water inlet line 17 coming from the main water supply pipe of the house enters the tank 10 through a gasket and water-tight fitting 18 in the bottom wall 15 of the tank, and extends upwardly to height at which its upper end 20 is elevated a few inches above the maximum normal height 16 of the head of water in the tank. Valve means to control the issuance of water from this line into the tank are generally indicated at 21. As has been conventional in the art for some time, this inlet valve 21 is actuated by a hollow ball oat 22 through a pivot arm extension rod 23 which is connected to the valve (in a manner to be more fully described below) so as to open the valve as the ball float moves downwardly with respect to the inlet valve and so as to close the valve as the ball float moves in the opposite direction, that is, upwardly with respect to the inlet valve. When the ball float is at the position indicated in FIGURE 1, the inlet valve is completely closed. Thus, when water is drained from the tank, the ball, floating on its surface, moves downwardly, thereby opening the valve to reill the tank and restore the water level to its normal depth. As the tank is relling, the ball Iioat rises with the water level until it has returned to its original position, at which point the valve is completely closed. The water level thereafter remains constant until an outlet valve at the discharge conduit is opened so that the water level again drops.

Communicating with the inlet line 17 past the inlet valve 21 is a hollow passageway 24 disposed at right 4langles to the inlet line. The passageway 24 leads in turn to a tank relill tube which is generally indicated at 25.

Inasmuch as the function of the inlet valve 21 is merely to control the rate at which water enters the tank, one might suppose that, once the water has passed that valve it might simply be allowed to fall into the tank. However, when the tank is empty, and during the entire time it refills, water so entering the tank would fall a considerable distance -t-o the surface of the water below and, in consequence of this, would create considerable noise. To eliminate this objectionable noise, it has been found advantageous to pass the water through the downwardly extending tube 25 the lower end 26 of which opens into the reservoir and which roughly extends down to the lowest level attained by the water in the tank. Moving from the passageway 24 into this tube 25, the water enters the tank quietly and no objectionable splashing noise i-s heard.

While by the provision of tube 25 the noise of refilling is eliminated, a second problem thereby arises. Specifically, the difficulty which now arises is that if for any reason a negative pressure comes to exist in the inlet line 17 so that a suction condition obtains, by a siphonic action water might be drawn upwardly through the tube 25 down the passageway 24 and (further assuming the inlet valve 21 to be open by some compounded series of chances) back down the water inlet line, so as to become comrningled with the general supply of water for the home. Conceivably this condition might result in the diusion of harmful bacteria into the water supply. Consequently, to prevent this sort of occurrence, most local building codes require that there be no possibility that such a siphonic action can ever occur.

In the invention, compliance with these regulations is effected by making the upper end 28 of the refill tube 25 open to atmosphere. By mechanism subsequently to be described, the silent operational characteristics of the tube are retained in combination with this back flow preventing characteristic.

Positioned axially above the discharge outlet 13 (which leads to the trap) is an overfiow preventer 29. This tube is a safety device which prevents the water level in the tank from ever rising above a pre-established level, if malfunctioning of the inlet valve should occur. If primarily comprises a hollow cylindrical tube 30 which extends upwardly above the maximum normal height of the water in the tank.

An outlet valve 31 is associated with the overflow preventer, and comprises a seal-forming element fastened at the lower end of the `tube 30. This valve regulates the ilow of water from the tank into the trap. At the upper end of the tube 30 is an outwardly extending circular flange 32. A handle 33, located on the outside of the tank, is pivotally mounted about a horizontal pin which extends through the tank wall. Attached to the inner end of this pin, and rotatable with the handle 33, is an extended trip arm 34 having a rubber bumper 35 at its outer end. From FIGURE l it can be seen that when the handle 33 is rotated about its pin in a counter-clockwise direction the bumper 35 moves upwardly and is brought to bear against the underside of the outwardly extending flange 32 at the upper end of the overflow preventer tube 30, raising it. As is explained below, this opens the outlet valve 31, breaking the seal at the bottom of the tank communicating with the discharge tube. Water in the tank is then enabled to rush into the trap and start the siphonic action previously described.

The general details of the invention now having been described, the details of the components may be more specifically enumerated.

Returning to the inlet valve 21, the inlet line 17 is connected at its upper end 20 to the body 36 of the valve, for example, by threads. The body 36 is preferably made of cast brass to prevent corrosion, and interiorly contains the valve seat, the seat being formed upon an insert as shown in FIGURE 2. Valve actuating means attached to the end of the pivot arm extension rod 23 opposite the ball fioat 22 are mounted on the upper surface of the body 36` of the valve. The horizontal passageway 24 leading to the tank refill tube 25 is attached to it at the side. The body 36 is hollow and presents an internal chamber 37 in which the valve seal elements are located. The valve insert, designated 38, is threaded into this cavity 37 above the entrance of the inlet line and has a central opening 40 extending through it and a rounded peripheral lip 41 at its upper edge.

Because of the design of this valve there is no relative rotation present between the valve seat and the seal such as there was in the old bib-washer type valves. This being so, it has been found that nylon is excellent as a material for the insert 38. The water swelling characteristics of nylon are not harmful in this application.

The internal cavity 37 of the body 36 is configurated with a circumferential, inwardly extending ledge 42 having a flat upper surface, the plane of which is slightly above the rounded lip 41 at the upper portion of the valve insert 38. On this ledge is seated a diaphragm type seal 43. The seal is circular and of a diameter such that it fits tightly against the inside walls of the cavity 37. The seal has a relatively thick central hub 44 which is supported by a thinner web 45 so that, by stretching the web to a slight degree, the hub 44 may be depressed relative to the surface of the ledge 42 on which the peripheral rim portion 46 of the diaphragm is seated. When the web 45 is not under stress, that is, is unstretched, the hub 44 is slightly spaced above the lip 41 of the insert 38.

The diaphragm is made of a rubber composition selected to have excellent aging conditions and need not necessarily be of high tensile strength, inasmuch as the maximum distension of it is small. While the hub or center portion 44 of the diaphragm comprises the dynamic valve seal, the outer periphery or rim 46 statically seals the cavity 37 so that water cannot escape around it and seep into the valve actuating means, mounted above the diaphragm. Therefore, these means can be lubricated Without danger that in time water will wash the lubricant away.

A washer 47 is seated above the rim 46 and is tightly held down against the rim by a cast brass cap 48 which is threaded into the upper end of the body 36. The cap 48 has a central boss 50 which contains a vertical bore coaxial with the hub 44 and lip 41 below it. This bore acts as a journal or bearing for a plunger 51 which is Vertically translatable in it. The lower end of the plunger 51 sits atop the hub 44 of the diaphragm. Thus, when a downward force is exerted on the plunger, its lower head bears against the hub and, stretching the web 45 which connects the hub to the fixed peripheral rim 46 of the diaphragm, moves the hub downwardly a distance corresponding to the relative downward pressure exerted on the plunger 51. As the hub 44 is moved downwardly, the spacing between it and the lip 41 of the valve insert 38 is decreased so that less water can pass through the valve, to that point at which the diaphragm is pressed tightly against the lip and flow is entirely shut off.

At the usual conditions encountered in most homes, the maximum pressure of water in the inlet line 17 at the seal is not great and the seal does not need to be jammed hard against the lip of the seal to effect a complete closure. Nor does it need to be spaced very far from the lip to permit full flow to occur. Consequently, a relatively slight vertical motion of the plunger is sufficient to either fully open or completely close the valve, as the case may be.

As was noted previously, actuation of the inlet valve is controlled by a ball fioat 22 attached to a rod 23, the other end of which is pivotally mounted at the body of the valve. Extending upwardly from the top of the valve body are spaced posts 52 in between the upper ends of which a pivot pin 53 extends horizontally. A pivot arm 54A having down-turned legs 55 rides on pin 53 and is 6 freely rotatable about it. At one end of the pivot arm 54, the pivot arm extension rod 23 is connected by screw 56. On the other side of the pin 53 a plunger linger 57 is formed integrally with the pivot arm 54.

As the level of the water in the tank rises during refill, the ball float 22 at the outer end of the pivot arm extension rod rises up with it; the pivot arm 54 turns about the pin 53 and the plunger finger 57 exerts a downward pressure on the plunger 51 causing the valve to close gradually as the ball fioat continues to rise with the Water level. Conversely, as the level of the water in the tank drops, the plunger finger 57 moves upwardly, that is, clockwise in FIGURE l, away from the plunger 51 which removes the stress from the web 45 of the diaphragm so that the hub 44 is drawn upwardly, away from the valve seat, and water may flow from the inlet line.

Referring to FIGURE 10, it may be seen that the top of plunger 51 is conical. The sides of the cone are angulated at approximately 15 degrees to the horizontal. It

will also be observed that the outer end of plunger finger` 57 of the pivot arm 54 which makes contact with the conical upper end of plunger 51 is formed on a slight radius such that when contact is made between the two, with the plunger in valve closing position, the meeting surfaces make contact with one another on the side of the cone below the top thereof. The resultant force applied on the plunger 51 by the plunger finger thus is angulated with respect to the longitudinal axis of the plunger. As a consequence the plunger tends to cock slightly. Furthermore, a substantial amount of friction exists in the area of contact between the top of the plunger :and the plunger finger. It is found that this relationship is important from the viewpoint of preventing chattering when the valve reaches a point Where it is almost closed at the time the tank is filling. The resistance to endwise movement by the plunger by the application of these frictional forces is sufiicient to prevent the start of vibratory movement of the plunger such that chattering is prevented.

An adjustable limiting stop is provided to determine the maximum downward angulation of the pivot arm extension rod 23 with respect to the horizontal. This stop also controls the rate of flow of incoming `water because it limits the upward movement of plunger 51. It is preferred that the stop be set such that the upper end of the plunger is always in `contact with the plunger finger 57. Otherwise expressed, it is preferred that the limit stop be adjusted such that the plunger finger 57 does not fall away from the plunger when the tank is flushed. This stop consists of an arresting plate 58 formed integral with the body of the valve and a screw 60 set in the pivot arm 54 opposite to the arresting plate 58.

Into a side outlet formed in the body 36 of the valve is threaded the horizontal passageway 24 which conducts the water into the tank refill tube 25. Passageway 24 has a bore that has a rounded entrance to reduce noise. At its other end, the passageway 24 opens into the tank refill tube.

The tank refill tube 25 is a vertically mounted tube of relatively large internal diameter in comparison to that of the inlet line. Near its lower end 26 is a vortex preventer 62. A cylindrical collar 63, into the interior of which the passageway 24 discharges, surrounds the upper end of the tank refill tube. At its lower edge 64 this collar is of narrower diameter, such that it ts tightly against the outside of the refill tube. Thus, a cylindrical shell-like chamber 65 is defined between the outside wall of the refill tube 25 and the collar 63. For reasons which will become apparent, this chamber 65 is referred to hereinafter as the swirl chamber. The upper portion 66 of this collar is turned inwardly around its circumference so as to form a downspout 67, the diameter of which is less than that of the refill tube 25, and which extends a short distance downwardly` into the refill tube. Thus, the upper end of the refill tube is open to atmosphere as at 28 and, via the passageway 68 between the downspout 67 and the refill tube wall, so is the swirl chamber 65.

The refill tube functions in the following manner: When the inlet valve is open, water moves through passageway 24 into the swirl chamber 65. As is indicated in FIGURE 3 the common axis of the refill tube 25 and collar 63 is offset with respect to the passageway 24, so that the water enters the chamber 65 tangentially. Due to centrifugal effects arising from its tangential entry into the chamber, water spins or swirls in the chamber in the direction indicated by arrows in FIGURE 3. Because it cannot escape out the lower end of the chamber (which is closed as at 64) it swirls around the chamber, filling it, until the water moves over the upper edge of the refill tube through the annulus 68 where it s then turned downwardly into that tube by the downspout 67. As it begins to move downwardly, the water still retains enough of its centrifugal motion to continue to swirl against the inside surface of the refill tube as it drops towards the level of the tank water in the tube. It is found that when the water entering the tank from the inlet line has such a centrifugal motion, it falls to the level of the tank water quietly without the splash that would be produced if it were to be allowed to fall freely.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the hush tube is molded of plastic with the result that the inner surface of the swirl chamber is quite smooth, and in some installations where the inlet pressure is quite high vibrations are set up in the swirl chamber if the water spins at too rapid a rate within it. In order to prevent this it is preferred that the swirl chamber in the lower portion thereof be provided with a plurality of vertical ribs 69 which are formed as integral parts of the inner wall of the chamber. These ribs slow down the swirling action of the water such that it completely fills the swirl chamber. Thus no out of balance condition can occur which would give rise to vibrations.

The vortex preventer 62 adjacent the lower end 26 of the refill tube is a rounded cap 70 extending upwardly in the tube, supported at its lower end by vanes 71. It is found that this device is effective to stabilize the tail of the vortex (or whirlpool) in the water as it swirls at the lower end of the tube. If the vortex is not kept centered, vibrations occur.

The height of the overfiow preventer 29 governs the maximum depth to which water in the tank can rise; if by some malfunctioning of the inlet valve mechanism, water continues to flow into the tank so that it fills to a depth above its normal level 16, the overiiow preventer Simply drains off the water keeping the tank from overowing. The valve 21, passageway 24, swirl chamber 65 and annulus 68 are all situated above this maximum level; thus even though water should rise in the tank to the maximum level (and in the open-ended tube 25 to the same level), no siphonic action could occur because the water must first move into the swirl chamber 65 over the upper edge of the refill tube. This edge, as has been pointed out, is above the maximum depth of the water; and therefore no such reverse flow can occur.

The third basic component of the tank iittings of this invention (the inlet valve 21 and refill tube 25 being the first two) is the outlet valve overflow preventer assembly indicated generally at 29. The function of this assembly, upon actuation of the handle 33 at the outside of the tank, is to open the discharge outlet 13 to the reservoir of water in the tank and, upon emptying the reservoir, to close the outlet valve so that the tank can refill.

The drain pipe 72 extends through an opening 14 in the bottom wall of the tank. This pipe is of a large diameter so as to enable it to carry the large Volume of water that rushes into it from the tank when the outlet valve is open. A water-tight seal with the bottom of the tank is formed by a rubber gasket 73 which is held compressed between the pipe 72 and tank by a large mounting n ut 74 9 1). the outside of the tank, which is Si drawn tight on the threads on the outside of the pipe 72. At the upper end of the pipe 72 is a lip 75 which forms the seat for the outlet.

A spider mounting bracket 76 having three legs 77 connected to a central hub 78 is set inside the pipe 72 adjacent the seat. An elongated, hollow guide tube 80 of relatively narrow diameter extends upwardly from the spider 76, positioned co-axially to the pipe 72. The spider supports this guide tube.

The overliow preventer 29 consists of the elongated overliow tube 30, a seal 81 at the lower end of which controls the flow of water through the discharge conduit. The overflow tube and seal connected to it are vertically slidable on the guide tube 80 with which they are concentric, and which passes through the hollow interior 82 of the overflow tube 30.

Upper and lower bearings, numbered 83 and 84 respectively maintain the axial alignment of the overliow tube with respect to the guide tube at all times as the overflow tube slides along the guide tube upwardly and downwardly. The upper guide bearing 83 as can be seen from FIGURE 6 consists of three legs 85 extending radially inwardly from the inside wall of the overfiow tube 30, which dene a central opening of diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the guide tube 80. The lower bearing 84 is generally similar in principle and is described more fully below.

Around the lower portion of the guide tube 80 is secured a iiotation tank 86 which has an internal buoyancy chamber 87. The buoyancy chamber 87 is open at various positions S8 along its bottom surface, so that if any water should seep into the chamber 87, it can drain out these openings down the discharge conduit directly below. Because of a captive supply of air in the chamber, water cannot enter through these openings 88 to displace the air, although it can compress it slightly. The location of these openings 88 can be best seen in FIGURE 7. The lower guide bearing 84 to which reference has been made is formed as an integral extension of the otation tank 66. Like its upper counterpart 83, this bearing has three radially extending legs 90 which maintain the alignment of the overflow tube 30 with respect to the guide tube 80.

While the materials of the overflow preventer assembly are in no way critical, it is found that, except for the seal, a stable, non-water absorbing styrene acrylinitryl butadien compound is excellent. This material is also excellent for the tank refill tube.

The seal S1 which, together with the lip 75 at the upper end of the pipe 72, forms the valve 31 for regulating flow into the trap is an annular ring having a mean diameter equal to that of the lip of the valve seat. In vertical section, as is indicated in FIGURE 2, the seal 81 is generally Z-shaped, having an upper rim portion 91 which interlocks with a circular outwardly extending shoulder 92 presented by the lower portion of the flotation tank 86. A transverse flexible portion 93 leads downwardly and inwardly to a relatively thin and flexible bottom portion 94, joining this portion at a point inwardly of the lip 72 of the seat. When a downward force acts on the seal 81 (such as the unsupported weight of the overflow tube, after all the water in the tank has been drained so that the buoyancy tank has no lifting effect), the horizontal portion 94 of the seal is pressed downwardly onto the lip 75 to make a water-tight seal around it. When the water has drained from the tank, the new supply of water entering the tank through the refill tube exerts an increasingly greater downward force on the horizontal portion 94 of the seal, thereby maintaining an effective closure. Because of the Z- shaped construction of the seal, the weight of water presses on the horizontal portion radially outwardly from regions inside the lip, and radially inwardly on the portion 94 from regions outside the lip, so that an extremely tight seal is established. Because of the openings 88 provided in the bottom of the tiotation tank which communicate to 9 the discharge conduit and the air at atmospheric pressure in it, no lift is imparted to the overfiow preventer by the flotation tank until the seal is broken.

As an incident to refilling the tank, the trap below it must also be refilled. To provide a source of water for this which will operate as the tank is being refilled, a trap refill tube 95 is connected into the swirl chamber 65 of the refill tube at the top through a passageway 95. The trap refill tube 95 extends down the hollow center of the guide tube 39 and discharges into the trap below. Thus, as water rushes into the swirl chamber 65 and fills it, the major portion of the flow spills over the upper edge of the tank refill tube 25, but a portion moves along the horizontal passageway 96 into the trap refill tube 95, which discharges it into the trap. When the inlet valve is opened to refill the tank, the trap is therefore simultaneously refilled. Similarly, when that valve is closed, flow to the trap is also cut off. The rate at which the trap refills is controlled by the relative pressure of the water as it enters passageway 96 and the internal diameter of that passageway.

The trap refill tube 95 is connected to the swirl chamber 65 through the passageway 96 which is formed at the upper part of the chamber, above the point at which water from the passageway 24 enters the chamber. By this relative disposition of the two passageways 24 and 96, the possibility of a reverse siphon effect through the trap refill tube into the inlet line is avoided. If the tube 95 should become dislodged from the center of the guide tube 80 in which it resides, and drop into the tank water, that water cannot be drawn reversely through passageway 24 by a condition of negative pressure, because the upper portion of the swirl chamber, where the passageway 96 is located, is open to atmosphere; a negative pressure in the swirl chamber would simply cause atmospheric air to be drawn in, rather than water from the trap refill tube.

A stop 97 is threaded onto the upper end of the guide tube 80 to limit the upward motion of the overfiow tube 30 on the guide tube.

The way in which the tube 36 prevents overfiow can now be described in detail. Because the tube is hollow and open at both ends and communicates directly into the discharge conduit, if for any reason (such as malfunction of the inlet valve) the level of the water in the tank is not shut off at the usual time but instead continues to rise, it could rise only to a level slightly above that of the upper end of the overfiow tube. At this height, the water would simply move over the edge of the shoulder 32 and down the hollow interior of tube 30 to the trap, from which it would spill without danger. To preserve the back flow preventing function of the tank refill tube 25, the upper end of that tube, as has been noted, is located higher than the upper end of the overflow tube, so that water cannot at any time rise above the end of the latter tube and move into the chamber 65.

The operation of the invention is as follows: To start the cycle, when the tank is full of water, the handle 33 is turned to bring the trip rod 34 into contact with the underside of the shoulder 32. A lifting force is exerted on the overflow tube 3f) which, if strong enough to overcome the weight of water exerting a downward pressure on the upper surface of the flotation tank 86, lifts the tube slightly on the guide tube 80, pulling the seal S1 upwardly from the lip 75. Once the closure is broken, a large volume of water rushes into the discharge conduit. The buoyance tank 86 now exerts a strong upward lift which causes the overfiow tube to move rapidly upward on the guide post 8f). It moves upwardly either until it is arrested by the stop 97 on the guide post or until it reaches a point of equilibrium in the now quickly falling reservoir of water. As the water in the tank falls, the ball float 22 floats down with it. This releases the downward pressure on the plunger finger 57 of the pivot arm, which permits the web 45 of the diaphragm to contract, lift the plunger 51 and thereby open the inlet valve. Thus, the flow of water from the inlet line begins. Water moves from the inlet valve, as has been described previously, through the passageway 24 into the swirl chamber 65 which it then fills, until it moves over the edge of the tank refill tube and swirls into the tank at the lower end 25 of the tube. Although the inlet valve is opened as soon as the level of water in the tank begins to fall, so that the tank actually begins refilling while it is still emptying, the efiiuence of water through the discharge conduit is much greater than that into the tank, because of the large diameter of the pipe 72. Consequently, the tank is virtually emptied, so that the depth of water remaining is only equal to the height of the lip 75 above the bottom of the tank. Without the buoyant force of the water to support it, the overflow tube 30 now slides back down again on the guide tube and forms a closure. Water entering the tank is now prevented from leaving and the tank refills. As water enters the tank, some is drawn off down the trap refill tube 95, filling the trap as the tank refills. As the level of water in the tank gradually rises, the ball float rises with it, until a level is attained at which the pressure on the plunger is sufficient to close the inlet valve. The cycle is then completed.

I claim:

1. An inlet valve for a closet tank, said valve comprising, a body presenting an internal cavity, an inlet opening entering said cavity, a seat in said cavity above said inlet opening, a diaphragm seal mounted in said cavity above said seat and urgable into closing contact with said seat, means bearing on the upper marginal portion of said seal and forming a water-tight closure of said cavity, a cap presenting a bore co-axially aligned above said seal, a vertically translatable plunger disposed in said bore, said plunger having a conical upper end, and means for moving said plunger into contact with said seal to close said valve, said means including a swingable finger bearing upon the conical upper end of said plunger at a point spaced from the apex thereof, said finger being pivoted about a horizontal axis which is skew to the axis of said plunger, the force applied by said finger to said plunger causing said plunger to cock in said bore and thereby reduce the tendency of said valve to chatter upon closure.

2. An inlet valve for a closet tank, said valve comprising, a body presenting an internal cavity, an inlet opening entering said cavity, a seat in said cavity above said inlet opening, a diaphragm seal mounted in said cavity above said seat and urgable into closing contact with said seat, means bearing on the upper marginal portion of said seal and forming a water-tight closure of said. cavity, a cap presenting a bore co-axially aligned above said seal, a vertically translatable plunger disposed in said bore, said plunger having a conical upper end, the surface of said conical upper end being angulated about 75 with respect to the axis of said plunger, and means for moving said plunger into contact with said seal to close said valve, said means including a swingable finger bearing upon the conical upper end of said plunger at a point spaced from the apex thereof, said nger being pivoted for swinging motion about a horizontal axis which is spaced from the axis of said plunger, the force applied by said finger t0 said plunger causing said plunger to cock in said bore and thereby reduce the tendency of said valve to chatter upon closure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,338,179 4/20 Hohmeister 137-451 2,211,167 8/40 Safford 251-262 2,312,654 3/43 Langdon 137-451 XR 2,476,310 7/49 Langdon 137-451 XR 2,875,977 3/59 Stone et al. 137-451 XR 2,989,071 6/61 Fulton et al. 137-451 WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN INLET FOR A CLOSET TANK, SAID VALVE COMPRISING, A BODY PRESENTING AN INTERNAL CAVITY, AN INLET OPENING ENTERING SAID CAVITY, A SEAT IN SAID CAVITY ABOVE SAID INLET OPENING, A DIAPHRAGM SEAL MOUNTED IN SAID CAVITY ABAOVE SAID SEAT AND URGABLE INTO CLOSING CONTACT WITH SAID SEAT, MEANS BEARING ON THE UPPER MARGINAL PORTION OF SAID SEAL AND FORMING A WATER-TIGHT CLOSURE OF SAID CAVITY, A CAP PRESENTING A BORE CO-AXIALLY ALIGNED ABOVE SAID SEAL, A VERTICALLY TRANSLATABLE PLUNGER DISPOSED IN SAID BORE, SAID PLUNGER HAVING A CONICAL UPPER END, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PLUNGER INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SEAL TO CLOSE SAID VALVE, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A SWINGABLE FINGER BEARING UPON THE CONICAL UPPER END OF SAID PLUNGER AT A POINT SPACED FROM THE APEX THEREOF, SAID FINGER BEING PIVOTED ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WHICH IS SKEW TO THE AXIS OF SAID PLUNGER, THE FORCE APPLIED BY SAID FINGER TO SAID PLUNGER CAUSING SAID PLUNGER TO COCK IN SAID BORE AND THEREBY REDUCE THE TENDENCY OF SAID VALVE TO CHATTER UPON CLOSURE. 